The Most Precious Thing In The World

Brazil, South America

See, on a day to day basis, we greet people, we exchange pleasantries. It is all on a very formal level. Isn’t it so?

Intelligence and innocence together is the most precious thing in the world. There are people who are intelligent and crooked, and it is easy to be innocent and ignorant. But what is really preferred is the education that can bring intelligence yet maintain the innocence.

When someone brings a glass of water, we say, ‘Thank you so much.'

That ‘so much’ has no meaning.

If you are in the Sahara desert, and you are really very thirsty and someone brings you a glass of water and you say, ‘Thank you so much’, it is authentic.

So, in life, when we deal only on a superficial level all the time and when we lack the depth, then life feels very dry and meaningless.

We must shift to another level, of authenticity, sincerity, and a genuine connection from heart to heart. That is what I call spirituality.

Spirituality is when you relate from the authenticity of your existence.

As children we were all doing that.

Do you remember when you were a baby, the whole planet, the whole universe was so alive. The moon was talking, the trees were talking and the animals were talking. There was a natural conversation between you and the entire universe. Do you remember?

Have you seen the children in cartoons? Even trees talk to them. It is a different world.

Now the question is, can we still maintain that innocence and at the same time reach the height of intelligence?

I say, 'Yes, we can. '

Intelligence and innocence together is the most precious thing in the world.

There are people who are intelligent and crooked, and it is easy to be innocent and ignorant. But what is really preferred is the education that can bring intelligence yet maintain the innocence.

So, now that we are at home and feeling absolutely informal, what topic do you want me to speak on tonight?

You know, we convey more through our presence than our words. Isn’t that so?

Does it really matter what we speak?

The world is all just vibrations.

If you talk to your physicist, he will say the whole universe is nothing but a wave function. Each one of us are nothing but waves.

If you are in touch with your centre, the waves are positive. If you are not in touch with your centre and have gotten caught up, then your waves become negative.

Peace, love, compassion, all these are our true waves; our real waves without distortion. They are the positive vibrations that come from us.

When you get angry, upset, negative, what do you do? You need to change that into positive. But nobody has taught us how to do this, neither at home nor at school. Isn’t it so? Grandmother must have told us, ‘Go to the corner and count ten’, that is it. Counting ten or hundred does not help these days.

If you observe your mind, your mind is angry about the past or anxious about the future. Both are of no use. Isn’t it? What is the point in being angry about the past, it is gone already. And what is the point in being anxious about the future? It is meaningless. Now, that which helps you to come to the present moment is meditation.

If you observe your mind, your mind is angry about the past or anxious about the future. Both are of no use. Isn’t it? What is the point in being angry about the past, it is gone already. And what is the point in being anxious about the future? It is meaningless.

Now that which helps you to come to the present moment is meditation.

See, if people know how to meditate for even few minutes, ten minutes every day, then they can get rid of stress and feel happy.

My vision is to see a violence free society, disease free body, confusion free mind, inhibition free intellect, trauma free memory and sorrow free soul. This is my vision. How many of you like to join this vision? (Everyone is the audience raises their hands).

We should give a better world to our children and to the future generations. We should give them a world which has more love, which has more compassion, and a world in which there is no gun culture.

Our children do not need a culture of drugs, or a culture of violence, they deserve a more loving, humane and compassionate society. A healthier society. Don’t you think so? Then that is what we need to work towards.

Questions & Answers

What is not our mission on Earth, we should make a list of that first. Your mission is not to be miserable and make others miserable, correct?!

Now if you go on eliminating what is not your mission, you will in the end come to what is your mission.

If others are feeling negative, how not to get affected by that?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You be more centered and leave a little room for imperfection. Sometimes we don’t leave room for imperfection and so we get affected.

If someone is negative, they have right to be negative for some time. Let them be. Give them some space. And I tell you, I am here to collect all your worries. So give me all your troubles, problems and worries.

I want to see an unfading smile on your face.

Can we control feelings?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

We can transcend feelings easily when we know that there is something which is much more basic to life than feelings, and that is the self; the life force, which is not changing at all.

How to know the difference between love and desire/lust?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

In love the other is important, in lust, you are important.

Dear Gurudev, how can I help people who have a lot of resistance in their minds?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

In the world, there are different types of people. We should accept them all as they are. There are people with resistance. It is okay. Let them walk at their own speed.

On this planet there are rabbits, there are deer, and there are snails. So you can’t expect a snail to run like a rabbit, isn’t it?

Let someone walk at a snail’s pace even though others are running like deer. That is how the world is. Keep smiling and keep moving.

I have difficulty in forgiving people.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Don’t forgive them, and then see if it is easier?

If you don’t forgive somebody, you will keep thinking about them all the time.

Is it really easy to hold on to anger towards somebody? My goodness, so much energy of ours gets wasted in it. Do you know why you forgive others? It is for your own sake.

When you see a culprit also as a victim, you will easily be able to forgive them.

Every culprit is a victim of ignorance; small mindedness. They don’t know the magnanimity and beauty of life and so they do these silly mistakes of being self centered and not caring for others. It is because their mind is small. So we need to forgive them.

Then, you need to see that they never had an opportunity to think big and feel big like you did. So, you can only be compassionate towards them and forgive them.